Heater



March 27, 1934. J, H, NEWPORT HEATER Filed NOV. 9, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. #2365 H. NEW/ 0R T.

A TTORNEYS.

WM, M, MMQ MM March 27 1934. J. H. NEWPORT HEATER Filed Nov. 9, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. Jf585 /7. N5 W100 T 71/ M. W, MM q. M

ATTORNEYS.

Patented Mar. 27, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HEATER Jesse H. Newport, Kenilworth, Ill.

Application November 9, 1931, Serial No. 573,849

6 Claims. (01. 122-2) This invention pertains to a unitary device having a dual, purpose, being constructed for the.

heating of water and the incineration of garbage and other refuse.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide an improved water heater and incinerator in which separate fuel burners may be employed, one for-igniting the garbage and the other burner for heating the water.

Another object of this invention is to provide a device of the character described in which the functions of heating the water and burning of the garbage are accomplished with the utmost efficiency in a simplified construction.

Other objects, advantages and capabilities of the invention, inherently possessed by it, should become apparent upon perusal of the specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 shows the device in central vertical cross section;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a central section of a modified form of F the device.

As shown in the drawings, the combined water heater and incinerator consists of a central tube 1 in which the garbage may be deposited by raising the lid 2. Grates 3, of any suitable construction, are disposed near the bottom of the tube 1, and are provided with a rocking or oscillating bar 4.

Surrounding the tube or garbage container 1, is a tank 5 whose inner wall 6 is spaced somewhat apart from the tube 1 and whose outer wall '7 is likewise spaced somewhat apart from the insulated wall 8.

Below the bottom wall 9 of the water tank 5 is a burner 11 having associated therewith a pilot light 12. A thermostatic element 13, of any suitable construction, extends from the interior of the water tank to the thermostatically controlled valve 14 to control the flow of gas from the gas supply pipe 15 into the pipe 16, through the thermostatically controlled valve 14' and thence to the burner 11, the gas being normally supplied to the burner whenever the water temperature falls below a predetermined minimum temperature, and being out off when the water temperature rises to a certain predetermined temperature. The pilot light 12, which is burning at all times, is supplied with gas from the main 15 by means of a by-pass 17 extending through or around valve 14, but not under control of valve 14, through a thermostatically controlled valve 14.

The bottom portion of the garbage container is formed by means of a restricted portion 18, the upper edge of which serves to close the space provided between the tube 1 and the adjacent wall 6 of the water tank. Protruding through the wall of the bottom portion 18 is burner pipe 19 to which is connected a small gas supply pipe 20 regulated by means of a valve 21. At 22 suitable air vents are provided admitting air to be mixed with the gas as they both pass through the mixer 19. This device serves for igniting the garbage and will be left burning whenever necessary to insure complete burning of any garbage accumulation. This burner may be ignited at 22 with a match, or if desired, a pilot light of usual construction may be provided.

Beneath the garbage container 1 there is provided a receptacle 23 for receiving the ash, liquids and incombustible matter from the garbage and which may be withdrawn through the door 24 from time to time and emptied.

The burner 11 for heating the water is preferably U-shaped and is connected intermediate its ends to a Venturi tube 25 in which a thorough mixing of gas and air is procured. Under control of a plate 26 the air is regulatably admitted into this mixing tube. At the joint 2'7 the tube may be detached from the burner so that the latter may be withdrawn for inspection, cleaning, or replacement, the withdrawal taking place through the upper half of the door 24.

The small flame at the end of the pilot light 12 will serve at all times to ignite the gas in the main burner 11 whenever the thermostat 13 causes the valve 14 to open. Normally this pilot light will be kept burning continuously and during such times a small flame 28 issuing from a small port in the pipe will play against the head 29 of a thermostatic element. Should the gas supply to the pilot light be temporarily interrupted extinguishing the pilot light, the small flame 28 will be likewise extinguished and the thermostat 29 will suffer a loss of temperature, and will thereupon close the secondary valve 14', and the gas will thus be out 01f from the pilot light and the main burner 11. The entire device then must be adjusted manually in order to restore it to automatic operation. This is a safety feature which, preferably should be employed with my invention but which is not a part of the invention.

The vertical wall of the container 1 is imperforate at its lower end and pierces a horizontal wall 31, and forms a tight joint with the latter to prevent air, entering through the air ports 32 in the lower half of the door, from flowing upwardly around the water tank. These air currents however may flow through the grate bars thence upwardly into the garbage container and into the flue. By preventing them from contacting with the water tank loss of heat is thereby prevented.

The water tank itself is supported by a plurality of brackets 33 and 34, one pair of which only is shown in Fig. 1. Between these two brackets the plate 31 is supported and on that plate are supported the grate bars and the re stricted portion 18 of the garbage container. On the top of the portion 13 rests the tube 1 of the garbage container and the upper end of this tube is provided with a port 35 communicating with the flue 36. The space immediately above the water tank into which the products of combustion from the burner 11 flow also communicates with the flue through a port 3'7.

Suitable water connections may be provided as follows: The cold water inlet pipe 38 is provided with an extension 39 which extends preferably into close proximity with the thermostat 13 to cause a quick opening or" the latter. The outlet for the hot water is the pipe 41 while a drainage pipe 42 controlled by the valve 43 is also 30 provided.

Since low cost of operation is an important factor in a device of this character it is intended that the insulated wall 8 have a very substantial thickness and be filled with some good heat insulator, such as fibrous insulation material, of which there are several available kinds well known in this art, and likewise, in the space 44, insulation should also be provided, as

. shown, to prevent radiation of heat from the water into the garbage container. The products of combustion issuing from the burner 11 will flow upwardly in the combustion chamber 45 against the bottom wall 9 of the water tank and thence upwardly between the walls '7 and 8 entirely around the outside of the water tank and eventually through the port 37 into the flue 36.

Referring to Fig. 1, it has been determined that the water being heated in the tank acquires convection currents which flow substantially in the direction indicated by the arrows, the water tending to rise along the outside wall of the tank and to fall along the inside Wall. Thus a rapid circulation is imparted to the water and proceeds uniformly in a definite manner, as indicated by the arrows. Opposition between the directions of fiow of the convection currents is thus avoided. Furthermore, because the water tank is narrow between its inner and outer walls heat which is transmitted by conduction and radiation needs to travel only a short distance in order to heat the entire volume of water. For example, the outside wall '7 being exposed to the hot flue gases imparts heat to the adjacent water column by conduction and radiation but since the distance through the water column at that point is short the conduction and radiation of heat is very effective.

The device shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is intended for operation as follows: The water tank is connected up with the water supply system of the house and the supply pipe 15 with the gas supply. The thermostat 13 and its associated valve being regulated to keep an adequate supply of water in the tank at some desired temperature, the device may be filled with water and placed in operation and will thereafter operate automatically without any attention whatsoever. Whenever the burner 11 is ignited some of the heat in the combustion space 45 will be conducted through the container wall 18 to assist the air currents in drying the garbage. The air currents entering through the door 24 and upwardly through the grates 3 will assist materially in drying the garbage. It is particularly noteworthy that when the burner 11 is not ignited, no air currents will contact the water tank, except possibly a slight air flow entering through air port 30, a port which is provided to admit the small amount of auxiliary air required to support combustion of gas from the main burner 11 when the latter is burning. Even though air currents may circulate upwardly through the garbage container, they cannot cool the water tank because of the air space 44 and the insulation in it.

Garbage and other refuse may be thrown in the garbage container from time to time and allowed to accumulate therein upon the grates. Whenever the householder desires he may open the valve 21 and ignite the burner 19, leaving the latter burning perhaps twenty minutes or half an hour, if necessary, to cause complete combustion of the garbage. The length of time that this burner must be left operating will be ascertained from experience and will of course vary with the amount and character of garbage in the hopper.

If one desires, he may provide means for automatically cutting off the gas supply after any stated time interval such as twenty, thirty or forty minutes. Such a device 46 is indicated diagrammatically but its construction is not a part of this invention as there are several well known devices of this character already on the market which may be set manually to allow the gas valve forming a part thereof to remain open for intervals of twenty, thirty, forty minutes, or for some other desired interval and closing said valve at the end of such time, operating by a mechanism similar in principle to that of a time controlled way down to the separating plate 31 and is surrounded by a burner 48 of somewhat larger extent but which likewise is a U-shaped burner. This type may conveniently be used where a larger burner of greater capacity is satisfactory, but

the smaller burner 11 shown in Fig. 1 is more 4 readily adapted for small gas consumption and is therefore preferred. In the modified form, a collar 49 is employed to close the lower end of the space surrounding the garbage container and suitable insulation is then packed into the space 51 to prevent heat loss into the garbage container. It is obvious of course that the modified form shown in Fig. 3 operates substantially the same as does the device of Fig. 1.

It should be understood that this invention is susceptible of being embodied in various forms which may differ from the present disclosure but which will nevertheless retain the advantages of the device herein claimed.

Having shown and described my invention, I claim:

1. A heater comprising an upright insulated casing, a transversely disposed wall dividing the chamber within the casing horizontally near the lower end thereof, an annular water tank mounted within said casing and spaced from the casing to provide a flue for the passage of products of combustion upwardly around the tank, said tank providing a centrally disposed opening extending longitudinally thereof, a circular wall depending below the tank from said central opening and registering with a central opening in said horizontal wall, a burner surrounding said circular wall and disposed below the tank, and thermostatically controlled means extending into said tank for regulating the flow of fuel to said burner.

2. A heater comprising an upright insulated casing, an annular water tank mounted within said casing and spaced from the casing to provide a flue surrounding the tank, said tank having a centrally disposed passage extending from end to end thereof, a circular wall depending from said passage below the tank, a horizontal wall dividing said casing transversely and having a central opening communicating with the passage formed by said circular wall, and a burner disposed in the combustion chamber formed by said horizontal wall, said circular wall, the bottom of said tank and the surrounding casing.

3. A heater comprising an annular tank provided with a centrally disposed passage extending longitudinally thereof, an insulated casing surrounding said tank but spaced therefrom to provide a flue for the passage of products of combustion upwardly around the tank, a burner disposed beneath the tank, a circular wall depending from said central passage Within the burner and a horizontal wall dividing said casing transversely beneath the burner.

4. A heater comprising a water tank having a vertical passage through its middle, means providing a vertically extending heating flue at the outer marginal portion of the tank, a bottom wall on the tank surrounding the lower end of said passage, a burner below said tank arranged for delivering its combustion products against said bottom wall and into said flue, and means for conducting air into said passage and arranged to exclude said air from said bottom wall and flue,

delivering its combustion products against said bottom wall and into said flue, a partition depending from said passage below the tank bottom arranged to exclude combustion products of the burner from entering said passage and itself positioned to receive and conduct to its interior some heat from the burner, and means arranged for conducting air into said passage and for excluding said air from said bottom wall and flue.

6. A heater comprising a water tank having a vertical passage through its middle, means providing a vertically extending heating flue at the outer marginal portion of the tank, a bottom wall on the tank surrounding the lower end of said passage, a burner below said tank arranged for delivering its combustion products against said bottom wall and into said flue, a partition forming a hollow chamber depending from said passage below the tank bottom arranged to exclude combustion products of the burner from entering said passage and itself positioned to receive and conduct to its interior some heat from the burner, a grate in said chamber below the major heat receiving portion of the chamber, means excluding said combustion products from said grate, and means arranged for conducting air into said passage and for excluding said air from said bottom wall and flue.

JESSE H. NEWPORT. 

